


A Youth's Rage

by fluffybanner



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: AU, Kid Bruce, M/M, bruce centric, eventual dad tony, mixed in with fluff, probs lots of angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-23
Updated: 2017-07-22
Packaged: 2018-12-05 17:08:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11582478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fluffybanner/pseuds/fluffybanner
Summary: For this AU, Bruce Banner was fifteen when the Hulk was created. His life follows the same path as the MCU, just with him at a younger age. The only thing is, very few people know the man behind the Hulk. It isn't until he's finally recruited for the Avengers that anyone finds out the famed Dr. Banner is just a kid, that the man behind the Hulk is only sixteen years old. Tony eventually brings Bruce in to his family, Bruce finds out about Tony and Rhodey, the Avengers find out about Bruce's father (his real dad). This is, hopefully, going to be a long chapter fic and I just suck at describing things.





	A Youth's Rage

Nine. Bruce was nine years old when his mother died. She had been the one positive constant in his life. She was the one that believed in him, the one that encouraged him, reassured him, and protected him, but she died when he was nine. She had been very sick for months, and Bruce’s father was no help. The man kept going to bars if he wasn’t at work, leaving Bruce to get to school by himself, and to take care of his mother. Each day he would come home and do his homework by her side, tending to her, trying to do his best to keep her on the mend. One day he came home and there she was… At first he thought she was asleep. He pulled out his homework and began to read from his textbook, reaching over to hold her hand. It was then that he realized she wasn’t sleeping. Sure her hands could be clammy some days, but they were freezing and rigid. The boy couldn’t stop the wave of tears that flooded him. He didn’t know what to do so he called 911. He knew he couldn’t call his father. The man was probably shit faced at some bar. After that home was never the same. His father blamed Bruce for his mother’s death. The man would ramble on and on in his drunkenness how if Bruce really cared about his mother he would have done more to keep her healthy. Part of Bruce did agree with him, but the other part realized that if it was true for Bruce it should be true for his father as well. The man did nothing to help his wife. He may have bought her medicine, but it was Bruce that gave it to her. He may have gotten groceries, but Bruce was the one who cooked. 

After the passing of his mother Bruce’s life just got worse. School bullies didn’t seem to care that his mother died. They would call him a freak because of how smart he was. Because when he got nervous he would rub his arm or his legs to calm himself down, because he didn’t like to stay still for too long. Not to mention the fact that he was nine and already almost done with high school. He didn’t really get the chance to make friends either. He was so focused on his studies during school hours, and when he got home he was more concerned with staying hidden from his father and making sure his homework was done. He didn’t have the time to go to the park. Besides what fun was a park when you had no one to play with. It wasn’t like he hadn’t tried to make friends. The boy tried to hang out with other nine year olds but they didn’t care about science. They wanted to talk about giant robots, which were cool when you thought about the science and designs it took to create them, but the other nine year olds just wanted to talk about how cool they looked when they were fighting. Bruce never understood that. Fighting wasn’t a good thing. It hurt people and made them yell. It was terrifying, yet everyone loved to see it in media. Bruce had even tried to hang out with some of the seniors in his grade, but no one took him seriously, and why would they? He was nine, a kid, they were adults ready to start their life. No one really wanted him around. At first it upset him. He missed having someone to talk to. Someone to give him hugs and tell him it would be okay, but he learned it was best not to let those feelings get to him. For Bruce it was better to keep everything bottled up inside. He knew if his father ever saw him crying it would mean a beating. 

Really anything Bruce did would get him a beating. He wasn’t allowed to take food from the fridge unless he was going to make his father’s dinner. He wasn’t allowed to watch TV because he didn’t pay the bills. He couldn’t even get new clothes unless the ones he had were ripped. Bruce managed to work around all of that though. In his shop class he built himself a small lap top so that he could do his research assignments and papers. During lunch he would take the items no one wanted, and before the buses came Bruce would look through lost and found. Life at home was a living hell, but at least he had found ways to make it a little easier on himself. Though… there were always beatings. His father was an alcoholic douche-bag. He had never really liked Bruce, but when his mother was alive at least the man wouldn’t beat Bruce. It would just be a lot of yelling and cursing. Without his mother to calm his father’s temper Bruce was left to face it alone. The man, though drunk, was careful to only leave bruises in easily hidden places, and never broke any bones. Despite all of their problems Brian Banner liked to keep up the image that he was a hard working man and a loving father. He wanted to make everyone think that he was so proud of his little genius, that he comforted Bruce every night so that no one would believe the boy if he told someone what was going on at home. Bruce hated that his father could seem so pleasant when they were forced to be in public. He wished that he could find a way to actually be like that, to love him and be proud of his accomplishments, but that was an impossible task. Brian Banner hated his son. To Brian, Bruce was a freak, an accident that should have been terminated.

Bruce knew his father hated him. He heard it every night, felt it through the bruises on his skin or in the hunger that made his stomach growl. It was why he was working so hard to get through school. College meant he could be in a dorm room, he could get away from all of this and have meals three times a day. He could prove he wasn’t just some freak. He knew he was going to do something with his life. He wanted to prove that he wasn’t going to end up like his father… High school was a blur for Bruce, and before he knew it it was his first day of College. Granted he was only ten and the city bus had given him a small panic attack, but he was there! The only problem was, was that the College board deemed him too young to live in the dorms. It meant he would be stuck with his father, but he supposed it was fine. That just meant he’d work twice as hard so that he could be done and get an actual job. Bruce was ambitious. He was going to get a doctorate in Nuclear Physics, but that didn’t stop him from taking some medical classes, and minoring in biochemistry and mechanics. The boy had actually needed to get his father to sign off on him taking so many classes in one year. Bruce knew it was wrong, but he forged his father’s signature. It wasn’t like he hadn’t done it before, and the man’s signature wasn’t that hard to copy. Bruce knew his father would never actually sign anything for him, so he just started perfecting it. After that Bruce’s days were pretty much ten hours on campus and any free time he had at home was spent studying and doing homework. It was actually how he preferred his free time. He had a schedule, wake up, go to school, come home, do homework, go to bed. His mind was so busy that he didn’t have the time to think about how much his missed his mother, how he wished he had someone to tell him he was doing great, how he truly had no one. No, all Bruce had to think about was equations. 

After a few months the bus drivers actually began to recognize him. He was always at the bus stop at the same time Monday through Friday. He had his backpack stuffed to the brim and as soon as he got on the bus he would pull out one of many textbooks and start reading. Bruce tended to take up two seats, one for him and one for all of his books, but no one seemed to mind. By the time he was twelve he had completed four years worth of classes and was allowed to start taking graduate classes. As he kept going, though, Bruce was actually bored. Yes some of the material was a little more challenging than others, but once he understood the concepts he could pretty much figure it out on his own. The classes were supposed to keep him busy. Keep him distracted, so that he didn’t have to think about going home, so that he didn’t get overwhelmed with nausea as he sat on the bus home. His father was only getting worse. Telling Bruce how a kid his age shouldn’t be in college, how Bruce never should have been born, that if his mother were here now she’d be disappointed in him. Bruce tried to tune him out, but how was he supposed to do that when his father was yelling directly into his ear? Sometimes Bruce thought about yelling back, telling his father what he really thought of him, but he was terrified of the man. He knew if he ever back talked his father could quite possibly kill him. The man was unstable and not in his right mind. He talked about wanting Bruce dead almost every night, and Bruce was scared that his father would do it. It was why he was trying to fast track his college experience. He wanted to get out of his home. He wanted to be as far away from Brian Banner as he could. Bruce still didn’t know why school didn’t distract him as much any more. Maybe it was the fact that his only real human interaction was with his father, or the fact that he was working himself to the bone. He had even started blacking out during classes and coming too only to find himself in his next class as if his body was running on autopilot. It scared him, but who was he supposed to talk to? His father? 

Bruce was fifteen when he graduated with his doctorate. Part of him was proud that he persevered and finally did it, but all he could hear in his mind was his father calling him a freak. That he shouldn’t have been able to do any of this. There was some glimmer of hope though, during finals week Bruce had been contacted by General Thaddeus Ross. The General said he was impressed by Bruce’s work and thesis paper, that he wanted Bruce to be the lead on a military project as soon as he graduated. He had assured Bruce that it wasn’t a weapon, and that if Bruce chose to be a part of it he’d be able to live on base until the project was completed. This was his chance. This was his time to show everyone that he wasn’t some freak. He was going to do something with his life and this was where it started. Bruce really didn’t want to go home again. It wasn’t home really. It was just where he slept and occasionally studied, so he had brought his things with him to his graduation ceremony. As he walked across the stage to get his diploma he saw the General smile from the back, and for the first time in a long time Bruce was proud of himself. Finally someone was telling him he did a good job. Someone wanted him around, wanted to see his work…  
The trip to the base was a bit of an emotional roller coaster. Bruce was very excited, but at the same time he began to realize he would be the only teenager there. He was going to be in charge of a bunch of adults, who may not respect his degree. The thought made his stomach drop, but he hoped the General didn’t notice. Bruce wanted to show that he was the one who could do this. Sure he didn’t really have any lab experience outside of college, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t as good as any of the other scientists on this project. He knew what he was doing. Bruce rubbed his arm nervously as they neared the base. It began to set in that these people had probably spent most of their lives dedicated to this work, and Bruce was fresh out of college, only fifteen and going to be put in charge. He wasn’t that intimidating either, he was barely 5’6” and he was very thin. As the car pulled to a stop he glanced up only to see Ross smiling. “Kid, I saw your grades. This should be a cakewalk for ya.”

Bruce smiled weakly and nodded, glancing down at his hands. “Th-thank you sir. I-I’ll do my best to get this right.” He replied before getting out of the car. He held his bag as he was led into the compound. The lab was amazing. All of the equipment was state of the art and looked fairly new. His room was quite cozy actually. He had plenty of space to put his things, and he had been provided with a lap top. He was allowed a few minutes by himself in his room before he’d be introduced to his team. He used the time to change into a light blue plaid shirt and dark grey dress pants. He pushed his glasses up and made sure his hair wasn’t sticking up in weird places before grabbing his key card and his lab coat. He smiled nervously as he walked towards the lab, pausing when he heard some raised voices. 

“Seriously? Ross you’re putting a kid in charge of this project?” It was a man, he didn’t sound to old though.

Bruce heard General Ross sigh before replying, “Look, the kid is an expert and is just as qualified as you, maybe more so. He specializes in what we need for this to work, so shut your damn mouth. The army needs this serum.”

The man was silent for a moment, “Fine. Then I’m off the project. I’m not going to be bossed around by some brat.” When Bruce heard footsteps approaching he hid behind a corner, bunching up part of his lab coat as his hand clenched. He hadn’t even done anything yet and he made someone mad… Hopefully the rest of the team wouldn’t be like that. Bruce just wanted to do a good job. He wanted people to see that he was nothing like his father, that he could be a hero. It was actually why he wanted to work on the serum. Bruce had kind of idolized Captain America when he was little. The man hated bullies and always fought for what was right, and he had been weak before the serum. Bruce wanted to be like that. He just wanted someone to tell him he was doing a good job. It took a few minutes to center himself, but once he did he made his way for the lab again. He swiped his keycard and smiled a little as the doors to the lab opened up. It really was quite breathtaking. The notes for the serum were already at his desk. The thought made him smile a little more. He looked around and found a man with glasses sitting near a woman with a lap top. They were what was left of the team working on the serum. For a moment Bruce felt anxiety creep up his throat, but he forced himself to walk towards them.

“H-hello. I’m B-Bruce Banner?” He stated, glancing down at his hands nervously. “I-I’m going to lead th-the experiment.”

The woman was the first to look up from the computer. She smiled softly, “I heard you were arriving today. I’m Betty, Betty Ross.” She held out her hand and chuckled when Bruce shook it. 

The man looked up and smiled a little as well. He didn’t seem too old either, “Nice ta meet ya Bruce. I’m Rick Jones. It’s kinda funny, I’m the intern here.”

Bruce smiled weakly and shook both of their hands. “Wh-what are you guys looking at?” He asked curiously. He wanted to know if it had anything to do with the project, and if so he wanted to see it. He wanted to know everything he possibly could before starting any equations or actual work. He couldn’t afford to make any mistakes. Sure he had some of his college work published, but for Bruce that was all minor. This was what would really get him recognized. 

“This? Oh we’re just speculating what could be missing from what’s in the notes. Really the only one who knew what was in it was the original creator Erksine, but it’s kind of our job to figure it out now.” Betty replied as she turned the laptop to face Bruce. 

The teen nodded and looked at the screen carefully. A lot of them could be viable options… He just needed more time. “They could be… I mean I could run the numbers see if any are a match, but I don’t think we’ll be able to get a perfect match. I think we might have to do the best we can at recreating it to a ninety-eight percent match, o-or higher. I-I just think that maybe some of the components may not be as viable as they were when th-the first serum was created, p-plus there’s so many p-possibilities for the s-serum itself.” He blushed and glanced down. He knew he was in charge now, but it was hard for him to be in control. He was always so used to just ducking his head and playing the submissive role. 

Betty smiled gently and nodded, “We never thought of that. This is why new eyes is always good for a project.”

Bruce’s cheeks were still a little pink, but he felt… nice. Betty hadn’t been mad. She actually realized that he could be right. The rest of his first day was spent looking over the original notes as well as the work Betty and Rick had already completed. He needed to know what compounds had already been tested, and what hadn’t. It was a little awkward at first, telling Betty and Rick what he needed them to do, but the two were very nice. After a few days the lab was more of a home than his childhood home ever was. The more confident he became the more he allowed himself to loosen up and joke around with the two he was working with. They made him feel like he had a family. Betty was always encouraging him, Rick would joke around with him and catch him up on some of the movies he missed out on. At least that was how the first few weeks went. The closer they got to cracking the code, the more pressure Bruce felt. They were so close and any mistake would mean days, maybe even weeks of back tracking just to fix it. He fell into old habits. Bruce started working straight through the night, relying on coffee and energy drinks to keep him going. When he did go to bed it was either passing out at his desk, or being forced to go to his room and sleep. While he worked he was quiet and barely even noticed the other two members of his team. He couldn't mess up. He couldn’t be a failure… if he failed then everything his father said would be true.

Bruce was sure he had cracked the serums code. His equations showed that it should work just the same. He’d still need to do different trials and tests before he even thought about a human test subject, but he was sure that he had it. He was holding his notes close as he walked to the lab when he overheard a conversation between Betty and her father.

“Dad… you can’t keep Bruce on this project. He’s only fifteen and I think the pressure might be too much. He barely sleeps and Rick and I try and cheer him up but it’s like he doesn’t even notice.” She murmured, trying to keep her voice down. 

Ross sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Betty… look I get it. You’re worried for the kid, but he’s the one who signed on. He’s an expert in this field, and if I pull him out you two will be down a member.”

“Oh, so the serum matters more than this kids life? Good to know. I’ll keep that in mind the next time he passes out at his desk.”

“You know what I mean Betty. Look, I’ll try and get him off-” Before Ross could finished Bruce made his way past the two. He was frowning and doing his best to hold back his tears. He trusted Betty. He thought they were friends, and she wanted him off of the project? Didn’t she understand what this meant to him? It was his chance to show the world he wasn’t a mistake. He didn’t care that Betty was asking how much he had heard. He just let the door close behind him and got to work. If Betty was trying to kick him off then he didn’t have the time to play it safe. He need to show everyone that he could do this. 

Bruce didn’t stop to take breaks. He didn’t stop to eat. He was hurt and upset, and he felt like he had to prove himself, that this was some sort of test. It took a good ten hours but Bruce had the serum in a small vial. He told Rick to set up the machine that would administer it. 

When the man paused Bruce looked up from his notes, “What?” He asked. Bruce was a little worried. He wasn’t used to his team not following his directions.

Rick sighed and looked down at the vial. “Bruce… I don’t think this is a good idea. I-I mean I know what the equations said but this is your life. What if we’re wrong? What if the gamma’s too much? You could die Bruce. I don’t want that.” 

The teen looked down, frowning. “I’m not wrong. This is going to work.” He said quietly before taking the vial from Rick and heading for the machine. Part of him wondered if he was doing the right thing. Rick never doubted him. Maybe Bruce had worked himself too hard. Then again this was all he had. He didn’t have a life to go back to. His father was still going to come home drunk every night. No one would want to hire someone who was fired from an important military project. He couldn’t stop now.

His stomach churned and his hands were shaking slightly as he began to set up the machine. He took a deep breath before strapping himself in. Bruce bit his bottom lip, thumb hovering over the button to administer the serum. As he was about to press it he saw Rick, Betty, and General Ross enter the viewing room. Betty seemed to panic and head for the door to get in, Rick’s eyes widened, and Ross seemed concerned… maybe a little intrigued. Bruce knew what had happened. Rick had told Betty what was going on, but they were too late. It didn’t matter if Betty managed to override the door’s lock. Bruce had already pressed the button. He was going to show them that he wasn’t a mistake. They’d all see.

As the serum was administered Bruce’s mind began to fog over. Something wasn’t right… pain shot through his body and his eyes widened as he felt something awaken in his mind.

***

"Destroy the records." A gruff voice murmured, running his hand through his hair.

"But sir... this is... this is our fault."

"Destroy them. Banner was a mistake, but no one has to know he was our mistake. We'll track down that... thing and no one has to know." The General said as he looked down at the soldier.

The soldier looked a little conflicted but nodded, "Yes sir, and what do I tell your daughter?"

"Tell her the kid died. She doesn't need to be involved in this."

**Author's Note:**

> This first chapter is just to set up Bruce's journey, explain and justify why he's so young in this AU. I'll try to get the next few chapters up soon. Also this chapter is a little shorter than what the rest will be, but that's just because it's an intro chapter really.


End file.
